Reducer for steam-hose couplings



' REDUCER FOR STEAM HOSE COUPLINGS Filed Dec. 6. 1923 Patented May 6, 1924.

UNITED STATES ERNEST H. WHITAKER, OF ROCKPORT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO CHARLES E. LOWELL, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, COGGIN, OLE MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

A'NID ONEvTHIRID TO FRANK F.

nnnuona FOR STEAM-HOSE oournmes.

Application filed December 6, 1923. Serial No. 678,971.

To all wh'om it may concern Be it known that I, ERNEST H. WHITAKER,

a citizen of the United States, residin at essary, when a locomotiveis out of service and in cold engine house or out of doors and under steam, to keep a current of steam blowing through the heating pipes and the delivering hose attached to the tender,'the

steam escaping through the usual coupler attached to the hose, and preventing water of condensation from formingand freezing in the heating pipes and hose. This entails a considerable waste of steam and is also very objectionable in roundhouses, and'also out of doors, on account of the large cloud of steam constantly escaping.

The object of this invention is to provide a reducer inthe form of a dummy coupler, adapted'to be separably connected with a delivering coupler, and to" permit only a small emission of steam therefrom sufficient to prevent freezing, so that the volume of steam consumed for this purposeis very much reduced. 7,

Under the present arrangement the opening of the steam'heat valve is largely guess work, the valve being usually opened until a large cloud of-steam is seenfrising over the rear end of the tender, and, if the heating pipes are led to both ends, as is the case with double-enders, over the front end of the locomotive.

Another object is to enable the dummy coupler to support the steam hose coupler and prevent the latter from hanging-down and possibly striking crossing-planks, frogs, guard rails, etc., to the detriment of the coupler and the hose.

I. attain the above-mentioned and other related objects by the improved devicehereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings "forming a art of this specification,

igure 1 is a side view of at delivering steam hose and its coupler, a portion of a locomotive tender carrying the same, and a dummy coupler embodying the invention engaged with the delivering coupler and supported from the tender by a tether.

Figure 2 is a' perspective view of the dummy coupler, one of its arms being broken away.

Figure 3 shows in side elevation, the delivering coupler and the dummy coupler engaged therewith.

'Figure 4 is a top plan view of the two couplers engaged as shown by Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a section on line'5-5 of Figure 4:. v

Figures 6 and 7 are, respectively, side'and top} views of the delivering coupler.

*igure 8 is a-view' similar to Figure '3, illustrating the operation of interengaging the couplers. a

The same reference characters indicate the same partsin all the figures.

- The dummy coupler in which my invention is embodied, is adapted for use with the coupler a of a flexible delivering steam hose b, constituting an element of a heating system for railway cars, the'hose being connected with a fixed conduit c on a locomotive tender d, orany other supporter carrier. The coupler 0;, which I will call the delivering coupler,"comprises a body portion containing a steam passagee, the outlet end of which is surrounded by an annular seat The body portion is provided on one side with a coupling member 9, and

on' the opposite'sidew'ith an ear it. having a coupling member Said members are adapted to separably engage complemental members carried by a receiving coupler on another fieXible hose, Said couplers are standard articlesl'of railway equipment, and requireno further d scription.

In the typeof deliveringcoupler shown, the members 9 and i are hooked or undercut to" form grooves g and z", these being female members adapted to engage male members on a receivingcoupler, when the latter is suitably manipulated as usual.

In carrying out my invention I provide a dummy'coupler, which is adapted to be separably engaged with the delivering coupler a by a manipulation simllar to that employed in engaging a receiving coupler. The dummy coupler is preferably formed as a single piece, which may be a casting and comprises a reducer portion 12, formed to be seated on and closely fit the seat 7, and provided with a restricted vent 13, arranged to coincide with the delivering-coupler passage e, as shown by Figure 5, and'permit only a relatively small emission of steam from the delivering coupler.

The dummy coupler'also comprises an inner arm 14, having a coupling member-15, complemental to the coupling member 9, and an outer arm 16, having a coupling member 17, complemental to the coupling member 2". Said arms project in opposite directions from opposite ends of the reducer portion 12, as shown by Figures 2 and 4.

The coupling members 15 and 17 are preferably headed studs connected by necks with the arms 14 and 16, and adapted to be engaged with the members 9 and 'c', as indicated by Figures 3 and l, when the dummy member is suitably manipulated.

The arrangement is such that the dummy coupler may be first held in the position indicated by Figure 8, and then given a swinging movement in the directions indicated by the arrows, until the-members 15 and 17 are engaged with the members 57 and i, as indicated by Figure 3. This movement seats the reducer portion 12 on the seat 7. The dummy coupler may be retained in engagement with the delivering coupler by.

the frictional contact of the coupling members with each other. to project a considerable distance from the coupling member 17, and constitute a lever whereby the operator is enabled to exert sufiicient pressure to set up a firm frictional engagement between the coupling members of the two couplings.

The elongated arm or lever 16 is adapted, by an orifice 19 formed therein, to be engaged with one end of a tether 20, the op posite end of which may be engaged with an anchoring member 21, fixed to" a locomotive tender d, the length and arrangement of the tether being such that it is adapted to support the dummy coupler, the delivering coupler a and the hose 6 suitably 'ele vated above'a track, so that when the delivering coupler a is disconnected from a receiving coupler, it is supported in a suitably raised position by the tether and'the dummy coupler. The weight of the supported parts exerts pressure on the dummy coupler in such manner as to press the reducer portion 12 against the seat f, and confine the coupling members 15 and 17 in engagement with the members 5] and i. The vent 13' is preferably inclined.- as shown by Figure 5, so that the emitted steamis di- The arm is elongated rected downward toward the ground, and is not liable to injure a person passing across the rear of the tender.

The elongated arm or lever 16 permits a slight separation of the reducer portion 12 from the seat 7, by slightly depressing the arm, as by a downward blow of a hammer on the outer portion thereof, the depression being insufiiCient to wholly detach the dummy coupler, and sufiicient to permit" steam pressure accumulated in the delivering hose Z) and coupler a to be deflected upward by the reducer portion, without passing rearward in a direction liable to cause injury to the operator.

The use of the dummy coupleris not confined to locomotives exclusively. It may be used in a yard-heating plant at the end of a track, in connection with a delivering coupling forming an element of a yard-heating,

plant.

Iclaimz I a, 1. For use with a delivering steam hose coupler, having coupling members complemental to the coupling membersof a re-1.

ceiving coupler;a dummy coupler comprising a reducer portion formed to be seated on the outlet end of the delivering coupler and provided with-a contracted vent adapted to constitute a reduced outlet, and two arm portions projecting oppositely from oppositee-nds of the reducer portion, andprovided with coupling members complemental to the coupling members on the delivering coupler, so that the dummy coupler is-sepa-. rably engagable with the delivering coupler, and permits only a relatively small emission of steam therefrom,one of said arm portions being elongated and constituting a lever, whereby pressure maybe exerted to engage the coupling-members of the dummy coupler with the corresponding members of the delivering coupler and force the reducer portion against the said outlet end.

2. For use with a delivering steam hose coupler, having coupling members complemental to the coupling members of a receiving coupler; adummy coupler comprising a reducer portion formed to be seated on the outlet e-n'dof the delivering coupler and provided with a contracted vent adapted to constitute a .reduced outlet, and two arm portions projecting oppositely from opposite ends of th reducer portion, and provided with coupling members c-omple-mental to the coupling members on the delivering coupler, so that-the dummy coupler is separably engagable with the delivering coupler, and permits only a relatively small emission of steam therefrom, one of said arm portions 1 being elongated and constituting a lever, whereby pressure may be exerted to engage the'coupling members of the dummy coupler with the corresponding members of the delivering coupler and force the reducer.

portion against the said outlet end, said elongated arm portion being provided With a tether whereby the dummy coupler may be supported from the carrier of the deliver- 5 ing steam hose, the arrangement being such that when the dummy coupler is engaged with the delivering coupler and supported by the tether, it supports the delivering cou- ERNEST H. WHITAKER. 

